Minimum bond thickness assembly feature assurance

Abstract

A minimum bond assurance feature for a pi-joint assembly is provided. The pi-joint assembly includes a substructure, a member coupled to the substructure. The substructure includes one or more standoff extending above one of the lower side, the front side and the back side of the substructure. The standoff includes a space location control surface. The member includes a base, a pair of axially elongated leg extending from the base to define a channel therebetween. The channel of the member has a first channel side, a channel floor and a second channel side, wherein the space location control surface may contact the member maintaining a standoff distance between the one of the lower side, the front side and the back side of the substructure and corresponding one of the channel floor, the first channel side and the second channel side of the member. A method of assembling a pi-joint assembly of the present invention is also provided.

1. An assembly for joining structural components together, said assembly comprising:
 a substructure having a front side, a back side, a lower side, an upper side, a leading side and a trailing side, and comprising:
 a first set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the front side in a row substantially parallel to the upper side and the lower side and extending from the leading side to the trailing side, each standoff in said first set of spaced-apart circular standoffs having a space location control surface extending above and being substantially parallel to the front side; 
 a second set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the front side in a row substantially parallel to first set of standoffs, but offset from the first set of standoffs in a direction from the upper side to the lower side, each standoff in said second set of spaced-apart circular standoffs having a space location control surface extending above and being substantially parallel to the front side; and 
 a third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the back side in a row substantially parallel to the upper and lower sides and extending from the leading side to the trailing side, each standoff in said third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs having a space location control surface extending above and being substantially parallel to the back side; and 
 
 a member coupled to the substructure, the member comprising a base and a pair of axially elongated legs extending from the base to define a channel therebetween, the channel being formed by a first channel side of a first of the elongated legs, a channel floor, and a second channel side of a second of the elongated legs; 
 the space location control surfaces of the standoffs in the first and second sets of spaced-apart circular standoffs contacting and being substantially parallel to the first channel side and space location control surfaces of the standoffs in the third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs contacting and being substantially parallel to the second channel side to maintain a first standoff distance between the member and the substructure and create a first gap between the member and the substructure. 
 
     
     
       2. The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a filler material filling the first gap. 
     
     
       3. The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the filler material is an epoxy adhesive. 
     
     
       4. The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the standoffs are machined from the front and back sides of the substructure. 
     
     
       5. The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the substructure is machined from a metallic material or a composite material. 
     
     
       6. The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the substructure is a panel and the lower side, the upper side, the leading side and the trailing side form the edges of the panel. 
     
     
       7. The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the first standoff distance is a minimum of 0.02 inches. 
     
     
       8. The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each of the standoffs extends above the front side and the back side of the substructure by at least 0.02 inches. 
     
     
       9. The assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising a pi-joint coupled to the upper side of the substructure. 
     
     
       10. A method of assembling a joint comprising:
 providing a substructure having a front side, a back side, a lower side, an upper side, a leading side and a trailing side, and comprising:
 a first set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the front side in a row substantially parallel to the upper side and the lower side and extending from the leading side to the trailing side, each standoff in said first set of spaced-apart circular standoffs having a space location control surface extending above and being substantially parallel to the front side; 
 a second set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the front side in a row substantially parallel to first set of standoffs, but offset from the first set of standoffs in a direction from the upper side to the lower side, each standoff in said second set of spaced-apart circular standoffs having a space location control surface extending above and being substantially parallel to the front side; and 
 a third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the back side in a row substantially parallel to the upper and lower sides and extending from the leading side to the trailing side, each standoff in said third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs having a space location control surface extending above and being substantially parallel to the back side; 
 
 providing a member comprising a base and a pair of axially elongated legs extending from the base to define a channel therebetween, the channel being formed by a first channel side of a first of the elongated legs, a channel floor, and a second channel side of a second of the elongated legs; 
 coupling the lower side of the substructure into the channel of the member, the space location control surfaces of the standoffs in the first and second sets of spaced-apart circular standoffs contacting and being substantially parallel to the first channel side and the third space location control surfaces of the standoffs in the third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs contacting and being substantially parallel to the second channel side to maintain a first standoff distance between the member and the substructure and create a first gap between the member and the substructure; and 
 filling the first gap with a filler material. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the substructure is a panel and the lower side, the upper side, the leading side and the trailing side form the edges of the panel. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the substructure further comprises a fourth set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated on the lower side of the substructure, the fourth set of standoffs aligned in a row extending from the leading side to the trailing side of the substructure to form a fourth space location control surface extending above the lower side of the substructure and contacting the channel floor to maintain a second standoff distance between the member and the substructure and create a second gap between the member and the substructure. 
     
     
       13. An assembly for joining structural components together, said assembly comprising:
 a substructure comprising a panel having a front side, a back side, a lower side, an upper side, a leading side and a trailing side; and 
 a member coupled to the substructure, the member comprising: a base; a pair of axially elongated legs extending from the base to define a channel therebetween, a first of the elongated leg comprising a first channel side, a first leading side, and a first trailing side, a second of the elongated leg comprising a second channel side, a second leading side, and a second trailing side, the channel being formed by the first channel side, the second channel side and a channel floor; a first set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated in a first standoff area on the first channel side; a second set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated in a second standoff area on the second channel side and a third set of spaced-apart circular standoffs fabricated in a third standoff area on the channel floor, 
 each of the first, second and third sets of standoffs aligned in a row extending from the leading side to the trailing side of the substructure 
 the standoffs within the first set of standoffs each having a space location control surface substantially parallel to and contacting the front side of the substructure; 
 the standoffs within the second set of standoffs each having a space location control surface substantially parallel to and contacting the back side of the substructure; and 
 the standoffs within the third set of standoffs each having a space location control surface contacting the lower side of the substructure to maintain a standoff distance between the member and the substructure and create a gap between the member and the substructure. 
 
     
     
       14. The assembly of  claim 13 , further comprising a filler material filling the gap. 
     
     
       15. The assembly of  claim 14  wherein the filler material is an epoxy adhesive.